Federer v. Nadal: The King of Clay

The epic final we’ve all been waiting for is almost upon us…it’s almost guaranteed to be a historic event: Roger Federer, the Swiss genius, going up against Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay.

To get you prepared for battle, enjoy this awesome video.

Rafael Nadal is Pretty Good on Clay…

Rafael Nadal is headed to the French Open final for the fourth consecutive year, and it seems like he’s only getting stronger. 2008 has been a watershed year in that he’s not only beating players on clay–he’s PULVERIZING them. Here’s some of what he’s done in this go around:

2008:
+ Improved lifetime record at Roland Garros to 27-0.
+ 18 consecutive sets won, and 34 of 35 sets won dating back to 2007.
+ 10 of the 18 sets (55.5%) won by either bagel (ceding zero games) or breadstick (ceding one).
+ 37 games lost in six matches against 110 games won — a 74.8 game-winning percentage: roughly the equivalent of winning sets on average with a 6-2 score.
+ 25 games lost going into the semis — the fewest ever dropped up until that point in French Open history.
+ A total of 11 games lost in 9 sets against three high-quality clay court opponents (Nieminen, Verdasco, and Almagro).
+ Two “Nadal Specials” delivered to Bellucci (first round) and Devilder (second): 5, 3, and 1 in the first, and 4, 0, and 1 in the second, respectively.

(FYI: A “Nadal Special” is a match wherein the first set is relatively close, and the successive set scores become more and more lopsided as Nadal’s relentless defense and menacing presence cause the opponent to more or less capitulate.)